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Category Archives: Quebec

Saint-Jerome, the gateway to the Laurentian Mountains – is a small town located north of Montreal. We stopped in for a quick bite before heading out to Mont Tremblant, and found this bagellerie. “Looks cute” says my wife.

What caught my eye more than the ‘cuteness’ factor, was the sign stating “Bagel cuit sur place” (Bagel baked on premises).

The menu listed just a handful of bagel options filled with your standard items of ham, turkey, and tuna; but I chose the club au poulet (Chicken club). Served with a nicely prepared salad, this bagel sandwich was straight-out delicious. The shredded chicken was lightly dressed and (although hard to see from the photo) was plentiful enough to make this a fully satisfying lunch.

Montreal’s first bagel bakery, continues the tradition with a time-tested recipe of hand-rolling, and baking in a wood burning oven. This is another perfect example of a single store, making one thing, really, really well.

I enjoy bagels, but growing up in Western Canada, my exposure to this carbohydrate packed treat has been limited to those available in grocery stores or the local donut shop. When we arrived at this bagel factory, I’ll admit that we were overwhelmed with over 20 varieties to choose from. So, we asked if the purveyor would choose a dozen of his favorites, plus a couple of the ones which just came out of the fire.

Before leaving the province of Quebec, we wanted to experience a great creperie. Scouring the web – we decided on this establishment located just outside the historic Vieux Quebec (Old Quebec) neighborhood.

The namesake of this creperie-bistro, is a large circular flat-top grill used primarily for cooking pancakes or crepes. At Le Billig, they have three displayed in their open-concept kitchen – which churn out crepes and galettes authentic to the Brittany region of France.

Je parle un peu francais, but there are enough multi-lingual people in Montreal to help you get by. After spending a few days in Quebec, I started noticing a bit of a trend. Walk into an establishment to a standard Bonjour! greeting. Once you sheepishly return this with a ‘Hello’, the English speaking staff-member swings over to serve you.

My French teacher would be so disappointed in me…

As I was on a quest to experience poutine from the source – this location caught my eye both from many online reviews as well as visually, when approaching it along boulevard St. Laurent.

This place is tiny, a few small tables along the outside windows and a sit-down bar. Luckily there was a couple leaving as we arrived – so we were able to grab a table. Two wall-mounted menus offer a selection of simple breakfast and lunch items, but I was here for the poutineclassique. Fresh cut fries cooked to a dark golden brown, fresh cheese curds, delicious gravy, and garnished with a single olive.